News

We're so pleased to welcome 32 new faculty & staff to Breck this fall!

Later this week will be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers in New York City, a significant and traumatic event for Americans and people around the world. Melody Fox Ahmed, the Director for Global Studies at the National Cathedral School invites educators to use the occasion for both remembrance and education.

Information about the 2021-2022 Breck Theatre Season.

On July 21, Breck welcomed back 51 alumni for our first ever Annual Alumni Soccer Game. Thank you to all of the players and fans who showed up to participate!

Our retiring faculty and staff have 159 years of collective service to Breck School. The halls will NOT be the same without you!

Check out the virtual concerts that Breck's Performing Arts groups have released. Included in this release are dance, strings, and choirs. Enjoy!

We are in the final hours of our Breck Giving Week, and we need your help to finish strong! If Breck athletics has positively impacted your life, please consider donating today.

Next week marks the end of a 32-year teaching career for Father John Bellaimey at Breck. In his honor, we are asking alumni to consider donating $32 at https://breck.link/givingweek and to share their memories of him on social media as we celebrate his amazing service to our community with the #BreckpapaB.

As we approach the end of the school year, this the week to come together for Breck!  During Giving Week, the entire community is invited to join together to celebrate Breck by supporting the Annual Fund.

Last week, Breck welcomed seniors and juniors and their families to campus for their induction into the Cum Laude Society at Breck

Breck is excited to welcome David Daniel, Ph.D., as Executive Director of the Peter Clark Center for Mind, Brain, and Education.

Breck is pleased to announce that Tricia Luoma has been named the Head Girls Hockey Coach for the 2021-2022 season.

Breck's annual Staff Appreciation Day Chapel featured the presentation of awards to our faculty & staff.

Three Breck students received honors at the 2021 MN Virtual History Day Contest. Congratulations to seniors Caroline Hedlund, Gigi Adiyia, and Ben Drysdale!

Charlie Crosby ’22 was just named the Star Tribune’s Metro Boys' Swimmer of the Year. We caught up with him shortly after he made the Olympic Time Trial Cut for the 100 Meter Backstroke to ask about swimming and life at Breck.

We are excited for the Breck community to join together for a fun and engaging evening, remembering our past, embracing our present, and envisioning the future for Breck.

On Wednesday morning, Upper School students listened to Ugandan climate justice advocate Evelyn Acham.

MS science students collaborated on a climate change research project earlier this year. Their teacher, Ms. Alexander, created a scenario for her students that opened up opportunities for deep conversations about climate justice and helped them understand the complicated nature of negotiating resolutions while also internalizing the need for immediate action to mitigate its impact.

This year, the Breck Math League Team took second in Class 1A at the 2021 Minnesota State High School Mathematics League State Tournament. In a year of virtual practices, meets, and tournaments that literally crossed the International Date Line, the team stuck together and retained their second-place standing for a second year.

Welcome to the United Islands of Hlama! A group of fifth-grade students in Ms. Starns and Ms. Wright's X-Block class created an entirely new country as a civilization project complete with culture, language, history, and more.

With the Breck School Mustang 2021 Edition #78 Yearbook sent off to be printed, we sat down with Ayla J. ’21 and Shaniya N. ’21 to have them share their experience as this year’s yearbook editors. 

Upper School students studied character voice acting in sketch comedy and classic radio drama - specifically looking at "Monty Python" style of sketch comedy of the late 20th Century, and the early 20th Century radio drama "War Of The Worlds", the murder mystery program "Sam Spade", and the sit-com "Fibber McGee and Molly". We then worked in small ensemble groups to write and improvise our own radio sketches.

Congratulations to Caroline P. '22 and Trisha S. '23 on receiving NCWIT Awards for Aspirations in Computing!

Congratulations to Breck's Advanced Science Research students who recently competed in the Minnesota Academy of Science's Junior Science & Humanities Symposium and the State Science and Engineering Fair! The students received a total of seventeen awards with several students advancing to national and international competitions

Join the 20-21 Varsity Boys Soccer Captains and Head Coach George Stuempfig as they share about their IMAC championship-winning season in this week's Mustang Athletics Interview.

Join the 20-21 Volleyball Captains as they share about their season in this week's Mustang Athletics Interview.

Homer Venters, M.D. ’85 was named in February of 2021 to serve as a non-federal member of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

Each year an Athena Award winner is chosen from each school and named the “Outstanding Senior Female Athlete,” based on excellence in individual sports or for participation and accomplishments in team sports. This year’s Athena Award winner from Breck is Emily Zumwinkle.

CBS Sideline Reporter and Breck '07 alumnus Jamie Erdahl shares about her career, gives advice to students who want to pursue sports broadcasting, and talks about how her experiences at Breck helped shape who she is today.

Dr. Natalia Rico Hernández, Ed.D., responds to the shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, that killed 8 women, six of whom identified as Asian.

Join the 20-21 Girls Varsity Hockey Captains as the share about their season in this week's Mustang Athletics Interview.

Catch up with Coach Carlson, Coach Wright, and the Breck senior captains of the Breck-Blake Boys Swim & Dive team as they share about their 20-21 season.

Join us for the Mustang Athletics Interview with Breck Varsity Boys Hockey Head Coach Glen Lang and the team's captains.

Join two of the Varsity Girls Basketball Senior Captains and Head Coach Marcus Harris as they talk about the 2020-2021 basketball season.

Breck's Advanced Science Research students competed in the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair last weekend. Everyone will advance to the MN State Science and Engineering Fair in late March. Congratulations!

Join the Varsity Boys Basketball Senior Captains and Head Coach Tim Sension as they talk about the 2020-2021 basketball season.

Join Varsity Gymnastics Head Coach Cassandra Meyering and Senior Captains as they share about their 2020-2021 season.

Catch the latest Mustang Athletic Interview with the Varsity Football Team's Head Coach and Senior Captains as they share about their season.

Congratulations to the three Breck Alumni who were named to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's 40 Under 40 List for 2021!

Listen to Breck's Design Impact Community Share Out virtual event from February 24, 2021.

Design Thinking is a process of building deep empathy to understand problems and then iteratively build solutions. For the past two years, the Design Thinking process has entered into the Breck community in a more deliberate way. Last year, the COVID Design Team led the school through the design process to develop the daily schedule used during the 2020-2021 school year. That schedule was deliberately created with COVID restrictions and hybrid learning in mind. As Breck closed this calendar year, a new Design Team was launched: this time, with the goal of creating a daily schedule that would live beyond COVID and offer a new perspective to daily learning at Breck.

Catch up with the Nordic Ski Team Captains and Coach as they share about their season.

Catch up with the Alpine Ski Team Captains and Coach as they share about their season.

During Black History Month, we are featuring Black, African, and African American identifying members of the Breck School community for our Meet a Mustang interviews. For our last interview of the month, we are introducing you to some beloved community members at Breck, the Noble family. 

Juniors Elise P. and Jess B. share about their internship at Agape Child Development and Oasis Crisis Intervention Center (Agape/Oasis).

During Black History Month, we are featuring Black, African, and African American identifying members of the Breck School community for our Meet a Mustang interviews. This week the Meet a Mustang feature is Jaren Morton '21, who started at Breck in the fall of 2016. 

A group of Breck Upper School students were recognized for their writing in the Minnesota Scholastic Arts & Writing Regional Awards. Students submitted poetry, critical and personal essays, flash fiction, and shorts stories. Congratulations to our outstanding writers!

On January 22nd and 23rd, Breck students participated in the B&B Model United Nations (MUN) Conference. Students from Breck and Blake planned and participated in this year’s B&B MUN Conference. The communications department caught up with three Breck MUN student leaders to learn more about the club and to ask about their experiences so far this year.

The 2021 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards were announced and Breck artists received 96 awards in the Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention categories. Congratulations!

Breck Upper School students Joseph P. '21, Ayres W. '22, and Maddie M. '22 share their experience interviewing Leslie Redmond, a local community organizer and former President of the Minneapolis NAACP. They also share their excitement for the MLK Symposium and Amplify Our Love with Pie events happening at Breck this upcoming week. Ms. Redmond will be the Upper School keynote speaker for our 20th annual MLK Symposium.

On Sunday, January 17th, Breck will co-host Sweet Potato Comfort Pie’s seventh annual MLK Holiday event: Amplify Our Love with Pie, to honor the 92nd birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breck student, Kai Miller ‘22, has been working behind the scenes to get ready for the event. The communications team at Breck did a brief interview with Kai to ask about her experience working on the event.

Natalia Rico Hernández, Ed.D., Head of School, updates the Breck community on the School's response to Wednesday's events.

After an inclusive and comprehensive search process that elicited outstanding national and international candidates, Breck is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Troy Baker as our next Upper School Director. Dr. Baker will join Breck starting July 1, 2021.

The Performing Arts Department has been hard at work creating ways to showcase what they have learned fall semester. We hope that you take time over the Winter Break to watch, listen, and enjoy what the performing arts students have accomplished.

Four class of 2020 Breck graduates were featured by KSTP 5 News for their work with UnitedHealth Group on the Well At Home kit.

Artist Brooks Turner '08 tells us about his journey after graduating from Breck. His new exhibition, "Legends and Myths of Ancient Minnesota," opened on Oct. 25 at the Weisman Art Museum on the U of M Twin Cities Campus. 

Bryan Tyner '86 is approved as the next Chief of the Minneapolis Fire Department. Photo Credit: Anthony Scuffle of the Star Tribune.

This year for the first time, Breck’s Annual Giving Committee has three extraordinary students join us as volunteers. We are thrilled to welcome Josh Furman, Sahana Mangipudi, and McKenna Quam, all members of the class of 2021, to the team!  

We hope you found the articles and interviews shared by Native American members of the Breck community insightful this month and that as a community we all learned more about Indigeneity. Our last highlight of Native American Heritage Month is an interview with the Sixkiller family. We are thankful for them and for their continued engagement in the Breck community! 

During the month of November, we are introducing you to Native American families who are part of the Breck community. You can learn more about Indigeneity during our weekly updates throughout the month of November, which is Native American Heritage Month. This week’s spotlight is on the Goze families.

When we talk about extinction, one of the questions we always ask is, "What animals went extinct?" But it is equally important to ask "What ones survived?" We need to ask better questions! If we are going to understand extinction, we need to understand it in a comprehensive way.

Breck Theatre Department has been hard at work on the fall theatre production, She Kills Monsters. We caught up with cast members to answer some questions about the production. 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday, deeply embedded into our culture and national identity. Practices of gratitude paired with family gatherings make for an important time and space for connection and meaning.

Breck Theatre Department has been hard at work on the fall theatre production, She Kills Monsters. We caught up with cast members and the director to answer some questions about the production. 

Breck Lower School students are on a mission to sort and recycle.

Each week through the month of November we are providing information and resources in recognition of Native American Heritage Month.

We sat down with Breck student-athlete Keya Hunt '22 to ask her some questions for the November Meet a Mustang feature.

Breck recognizes the month of November as Native American Heritage Month.

Students in our Upper School American Elections interdisciplinary course spent the day diving into the issues and races across Minnesota ahead of tomorrow's Presidential election.

Congratulations to Breck's National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and Commended Scholars!

Help us support Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story) by joining our October Read-a-thon. Read on for the rest of the story!

Breck sophomore Alden Keller took first in the boys IMAC cross-country meet — and eighth grader Esme Gulbranson placed third. Congratulations to the individuals and the teams!

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Hardeman ‘98 on receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2020! 

Here they are — the 2020 Homecoming Court! Coronation will be live-streamed on Friday, Oct. 2, at 2pm. We hope you'll join us!

John Cardwell '21 turned his interest in 3D printing to help print mini doc cams for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Breck student Caroline Pirtle ‘22, the Breck BBB Mountain Bike Club leader and racer for the BBB NICA Mountain Bike Team finished up her fourth race of the MN High School Cycling League mountain bike season

Upper School students explored Breck's Club Fair the past two Wednesdays.

Important dates for the 2020-2021 school year.

We're challenging Breck families to join us for a Summer Read-a-thon during the month of July. Proceeds benefit The Sheridan Story. 

A message from the Head of School.

Learn more about the struggles of the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how Breck students are stepping in to provide vital resources and support to those impacted.

An important voice in the leadership of the school is that of students. Next year's student leadership councils were recently voted on by the Upper School community. As we say farewell to the 2019-2020 academic year and look ahead to 2020, we also welcome in the below members of the student body into leadership positions.

The Presidential Service Award is a nationally recognized award given to outstanding individuals who dedicate considerable time over the course of a year to help their communities

The Upper School Closing ceremony recognizes the students across academic departments that have earned recognition for their personal growth and achievements. 

This morning, we held an online award ceremony presenting teaching excellence awards to several faculty. Additionally, we celebrated those with 10, 20, and 30 years of service, and we wished our retirees all the best! 

As part of her end-of-year science project, Sara Ali '27 wrote this article about habitat loss and our environment. 

This year’s alumni Commencement speakers are Brittney (Faber) Oberrender and Will Oberrender, a married couple who graduated from Breck in 2009. They agreed to be interviewed for our Breck Bulletin alumni highlight in preparation for speaking to the Class of 2020.

Learn more about the struggles of the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how Breck students are stepping in to provide vital resources and support to those impacted.

Our 5th grade science students explored ways they might change the world in their final project for the year.  Read more and see how another student learned how to find creative solutions despite our distance.

Our innovative performing arts department found a way to host a concert. Presenting the 2020 Virtual Coffeehouse Concerts – in Middle School and Upper School editions.

Congratulations to Sahana Mangipudi '21 on her first place recognition in the Minneapolis Federal Reserve high school essay contest

Our Middle School Health Students found creative ways to stay healthy this summer and have shared their ideas in their latest class.

Middle School Science Students explore ways they can change the world - virtually!

Breck's Executive Chef Liz Raygor shared a recipe for Ground Bison Meatballs. They look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Bring on the weekend and let's get cooking! 

Each week we spend time connecting with members of our alumni community. This week we hear from Sahar Hakim-Hashemi '09.

Breck Trustee Sharon Ryan shares how her own college graduation was cancelled suddenly and unexpectedly. And how our students will have a memory — a unique memory.

Sahaha Mangipudi '21 was one of 30 finalists in the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis 32nd Annual Student Essay Contest.

Congratulations to the Breck students who have been recognized as Minnesota Scholars of Distinction in Science, Social Studies, and STEM. 

The Breck Parents Association welcomed the 2020-2021 Board at their recent meeting.

Each week we connect with members of our alumni community. This week, we caught up with Michael Mooney '10.

Upper School English teacher Katherine Raths worked to find opportunities to explore these themes with her students — made more challenging while remote learning,. Raths, who is also a law student at Mitchell Hamline College of Law, invited one of her professors to speak to Grade 9 students.

Sahana Mangipudi '21 was awarded the State Honorable Mention and Caroline Pirtle '22 received a Rising Star award.

Alexis '23 is a talented musician and motivated student and was recently notified of her selection into a highly selective NYU Steinhardt School Summer Songwriting Workshop

Members of the Breck Robotics team print face shields for emergency workers.

Each week we connect with members of our Alumni community to see what they are up to during the COVID-19 pandemic

Breck fourth grades participate in Operation Gratitude, thanking emergency responders and other helpers for their work.

Breck is collecting graduation gowns for Gowns4Good, an organization that distributes them for health care workers who will use them as PPE. When? Saturday, May 9, between 10am and 2pm. 

Each week we reconnect with a member of our alumni community.

Breck alumnus Dr. Christopher Murray is leading a team of scientists that are developing COVID-19 forecasts. 

Chefs John Chestnut and Liz Raygor, Breck's Flik Dining Services colleagues, will be sharing recipes and healthy eating ideas with us each week! This week, Revved-Up Marinara. Enjoy!

Alumna Jamie Erdahl '07 was interviewed by Chris Ohm during Monday's Mustang Minute Live. 

Students in the Junior Dance Repertory came together for their first virtual performance this week. 

Each week we celebrate and connect with our alumni community. This week, we caught up with Sam Putnam '19 who is a current student at USC. Read on to hear how he is adjusting to life after Breck

More advanced science research team news! Seniors James Clinton and Nathan Rockafellow qualified for the National JSHS Symposium.

Amrita '22 shares an original song she composed during distance learning.

Our Breck Service Council shares ways you can volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quinn '29 shares with us a sample of a project she completed as part of distance learning. Hear more from her as she reports "live" from the Animal Humane Society.

The team presented their research: Testing the Waters: Engineering an innovative method of water health analysis.

Breck Alumnus Jason Lewis '94 shares how the Fessenden School adapted to teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alumna Ayana Platt '18 and current Trinity College student shares how she has had to adapt to learning during COVID-19.

We caught up with Breck alum Liam O'Hagan '04 who told us what he's been up to — college, sports, career, life in China, and living through his second global crisis. 

Senior Rachel Gunderson shares her thoughts on Distance Learning, leadership, and life as a senior in the times of COVID-19.

Due to COVID-19, our faculty and staff pulled together resources to donate to medical personnel who are doing critical work for our community. We are proud to support their work and donate to the cause!

Abigail and Samantha's advanced science research project, "Searching the Shadows" advanced to the International Science and Engineering Fair.

The Breck-Blake Boys Swim & Dive team are your 2020 Class A Boys Swim & Dive State Champions!

The Wolves advanced to the worldwide competition held in Detroit, MI.

The Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards (MSAA) have been announced for 2020 and Breck visual art students are well represented. We've listed our MSAA artists alphabetically below. Congratulations to our Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention award recipients.

Congratulations to Breck's Athena Award recipient, senior Olivia Mobley!

Breck School is pleased to announce Leah Hernandez as our guest speaker for our MLK Day Chapel on Tuesday, January 21, at 8:30 AM. All are welcome!

Breck's Chess Teams competed at the Winter Grade-Level Chess Tourney on 12/7. Read more for complete tourney results.

Congratulations to Breck's Middle School FIRST Lego League teams that competed in the Chippewa Regional Tournament. All three teams won team awards. 

Congratulations to Breck Girls Soccer Senior Captain Kaitlyn MacBean on being named the 2019 Ms. Soccer! Kaitlyn is headed to Penn State next year to continue her soccer career! Go Mustangs!

Ansel Smith '20 and James Hicks '23 were selected to participate in the St. Thomas Honor Band Festival.

Just a few shows remain of this amazing performance featuring one of our very own Mustangs!

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced that Minneapolis will host the 2020 Paralympic Trials for Team USA this June. Breck School has been named host of the Track & Field events.

Congratulations to Upper School English Teacher Dallas Crow on his recent publication in the Molecule Literary Magazine.

Congratulations to Upper School English Teacher Emily Brisse on her publication in the Washington Post.

Congratulations to Emre Adabag, Margaret Broyles, Andrew Cheng, James Clinton, Samantha Detor, Gunnar Evenstad, Ekemini Jones, Grace Medeiros, Sam Schoenecker, Dylan Vincent, and Niels Wu, who were named National Merit Semifinalists by the College Board.

Beth Gaffga returns to Breck as our new Middle School English Teacher. 

Get to know Mark Garrison, Breck's new Chief Information Officer.

Help us welcome Carla Davies-Vue, Breck's new Upper School Counselor — and current Breck parent.

Breck welcomes Susan Cossette, Breck's new Annual Giving Director, who joined the Advancement Team this summer.

Capture that first day of school with handy printable signs for your child's big day. Signs for preschool-grade 12 are available here.

Welcome to Gargi Bajpai, Breck's new Middle School math instructor and parent to two Breck Lower School students.

Boatemaa Agyeman-Menah '19 selected to serve on MN Youth Council.

Welcome to Jeremy Kes, Breck's new Middle School science instructor!

We're excited to welcome Amy Dornbach (Kindergarten Assistant) back to Breck. Ms. Dornbach, who taught at Breck several years ago, graduated from The College of St. Benedict with a B.A. in Education.

Welcome new faculty member Sheila Willson, who will be teaching Preschool at Breck.